SA vs AUS | David Warner and Steve Smith ready to face South Africa crowds, believes Josh Hazlewood

David Warner and Steve Smith will fly out with the Australia squad on Friday for a limited-overs tour to South Africa in the duo’s first visit to the country since serving 12-month bans for their parts in the tampering plot during the Cape Town Test. Australian fast bowler Josh Hazlewood has said that Steve Smith and David Warner will be ready for whatever South African crowds throw at them when the Australian duo return to the rainbow nation for the first time post the ball-tampering scandal.

“David Warner and Steven Smith will be ready for the crowd and the heat that'll be directed at them during Australia's upcoming tour of South Africa that starts on February 21, according to paceman Josh Hazlewood. This will be the first time since the infamous ball-tampering incident at Cape Town in 2018 that Warner and Smith will be visiting the country, the aftermath of that episode resulting in them being banned from international cricket for 12 months”, said Hazlewood as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Starting from the World Cup to the Ashes, the pair were jeered relentlessly by English crowds but they have managed to silence the crowd through their on-field performances. Hazlewood is of the opinion that given how prolific and influential the duo have been since returning from the 12-month ban, they will not have to prove their credentials to anybody and that the hostility of the crowd won’t faze them one bit.

"Think Steve and Dave have ticked off pretty much every box since coming back and this is just another one of those; don't think it will faze them one bit. They probably play better when it's like this, probably try and take as much heat as they can and keep the younger guys out of the spotlight. It's nothing we haven't experienced before; it's quite a long time ago now and a lot of different players from that Test team."

David Warner himself has been in ruthless form since returning from Ashes. The southpaw was awarded the prestigious Allan Border Medal at the Australian Cricket Award this week and was also named the Male T20I Player of the Year. The left-hander emerged as Australia's best batsman at the World Cup with 647 runs at an average of 71.88 and excelled in T20 series against Pakistan and Sri Lanka and then took apart Pakistan's attack including a career-high 335 not out in Adelaide.

Hazlewood lavished praise on the 33-year-old Warner and stated that irrespective of the format, the New South Welshman is a match-winner and further lauded the left-hander for the mental strength he's shown to come back and perform the way he has. 

"It says a lot [about him]. What it says is that when Davey has a good game we basically win the game. He's a big match-winner in T20s, one-dayers or Tests. When he has a good game it sends us a long way towards winning the game,"